Bonds
by A Random Story Generator
Summary: What if Naruto hadn't turned away from Sasuke when they were children? What if Naruto had a friend to help protect him growing up, and Sasuke had someone to replace Itachi? Strong Naruto; likely pairings: NaruHina, SasuSaku.
1. Sunset

**AN: Wow, the response to this was a lot bigger than I expected. I've revised the first chapter and corrected a lot of typos (sorry!). As always, review please! /AN**

**Chapter 1: Sunset**

Uzumaki Naruto walked along Konoha's main road with the sun setting to his left, its reflection gradually retreating over the lake. Kicking a rock, the young boy walked back towards his house on the fringes of Konoha—his entirely empty house. Swallowing hard, Naruto pushed the thought away, doing his best to bury the loneliness that had reared up inside him. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the small blond caught sight of a figure sitting on a small, dilapidated dock below him, the boy's ebony hair blowing lightly in the wind as he stared towards the setting sun.

"Sasuke…"

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><p><em>Earlier that day….<em>

Naruto lifted his head from his desk, a small globule of spit hanging out of the corner of his mouth. In front of him, Ikumo and Tato-two of his largest tormentors and the only other students who had failed last year-were talking loudly and making more and more outrageous claims about their future ninja careers. Abruptly Ikumo stopped, his eyes widening. Lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, the brown-haired boy leaned towards his friend.

"That boy up there, the one with the black hair, he's Uchiha Sasuke. My dad says his entire clan was murdered."

Tato nodded his head in an attempt to look sagely-to Naruto, he looked more like a frog bobbing to some frantic beat.

"I heard about him. My mom said he's the only one left."

As the boys in front of him returned to their outrageous claims, Naruto took his time examining the last Uchiha. The boy certainly didn't look friendly. He sat with his fingers intertwined below his chin, staring straight at the empty blackboard in front of him. Naruto would have guessed he was asleep if not for the rhythmic clenching and unclenching of his arms. In all honesty, the boy gave him the creeps; he looked like he was getting ready to kill someone.

The door to the classroom opened abruptly as a tall ninja with brown hair and a large scar across his face entered. The man walked to the worn desk in the front of the classroom and bowed towards the class.

"Good morning! My name is Iruka, and I'm going to be your teacher during your time in the academy."

* * *

><p>Realizing he had been staring at the other boy, Naruto quickly looked away, but not before Sasuke turned, meeting his eyes for the barest moment. Stiffening, Naruto abruptly began walking again, passing the graveled path that led down to the dock below. Several feet later, the blond stopped and clenched his fists, Tato's voice echoing in his mind.<p>

_'He's all alone too.'_

Turning around Naruto walked back and down the path towards the dock, stopping only when he stood directly behind the black-haired Uchiha.

"What do you want?"

Naruto jumped at the question before taking several moments to gather his courage. Stepping forward he sat down next to Sasuke.

"My name's Naruto. You looked lonely, so I thought you might want some company."

Naruto's shoulder's sagged at Sasuke's snort, his head dropping slightly when the other boy suddenly stood.

"I don't want or need company from someone like you. Run home to your parents dobe."

As Sasuke stepped off the dock he heard the blond boy's reply and the soft sound of tears hitting the surface of the lake.

"I don't have parents or a home."

Sasuke's momentary pause was the only sign he had heard Naruto. Climbing the gravel path he stepped onto one of Konoha's main roads and began walking towards the Uchiha compound.

* * *

><p><em>A few hours later...<em>

Naruto gasped for breath, leaning heavily against a rough stone wall. Above him, the moon had nearly peaked and behind him the shouts of angry villagers could still be heard.

Cursing his own stupidity, the blond pushed off the wall and staggered forward, ignoring his bruised and bloody body.

'_I shouldn't have fallen asleep there. It's not safe at night.'_

Turning a corner, Naruto bumped into something solid.

"Sorry, it won't happen again."

Naruto tried to quickly circumvent the man he had stumbled into; he was close to home and would be safe in a few more blocks.

"Well, if it isn't the demon."

The man's voice and the stench of alcohol struck Naruto at the same moment, raising the hair on the back of his neck and sending his heart into a frenzied beat. Without thinking, the blond broke into a sprint, noticing a moment too late that the drunkard had anticipated his move.

A rough hand wrapped around Naruto's throat, lifted him, and then slammed him onto the sidewalk. A trickle of blood escaped Naruto's mouth as the kicking began. Doing his best to curl his body and protect his head from the blows, Naruto waited for his assailant to tire and grow bored with beating on the 'demon'. A moment later, the kicking stopped and his assailant landed limply beside him, unconscious. Naruto stood cautiously, shunting the pain coursing through his body to the back of his mind. Warily eyeing the darkness around him, Naruto turned and found himself staring into a pair of ebony eyes.

"We need to move dobe. The other group is heading this way."

Naruto merely grunted his assent, and began limping forward—pausing just long enough to deal a swift kick to his unconscious attacker's face. Sasuke watched as the blond boy staggered forward several feet, then collapsed. Suppressing a sigh, Sasuke threw Naruto over his shoulder and began walking towards the Uchiha compound for the second time that night


	2. Kunai

**AN: Thanks to Rose Tiger, Ookami88, Mazzax, C.A.M.E.O.1 and only, Lord Anubis Judge of the dead, and Dude for their reviews! On a side note, I'm probably going to break with cannon a bit, and assume that the academy ends when people are around age 15 (just raise everyone's age by 3 years)-little kids running around killing people is just a little too much for me. As always, the more you review, the more I write! /AN**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Kunai<strong>

Naruto groaned as consciousness forced itself back upon him and a dull ache issued from every part of his body. Sitting up, he gazed at his surroundings, recalling the last few moments of the previous night. That he wasn't in his apartment was immediately obvious. Instead of chipped and peeling walls, he was surrounded by well-kept and sparkling white ones. The bed he lay on was comfortable and didn't even creak as he slipped off of it. Still fully clothed and covered in a mixture of dirt and blood, Naruto cringed at the mess he had made on the bed's clean sheets.

The door behind Naruto abruptly slid open, revealing Sasuke. Naruto swallowed hard, unsure of how to treat the boy who had saved him from a beating and possibly worse. Sasuke, for his part, pretended not to notice the tension in the room and simply walked forward, placing a clean set of clothes at the foot of Naruto's bed.

"Class starts in a half hour, so you don't have time to wash your clothes. Besides, I have a lot of extras…"

Something about the way Sasuke's voice dropped off at the end of his statement made Naruto uncomfortable, like the boy was hiding something. Nonetheless, he stepped towards the black-haired boy, grinned, and shoved his hand forward.

"The name's Naruto, and thanks…for last night…"

The corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched slightly at the sight of the blond's wide smile.

"You already told me your name, dobe."

Sasuke made his way out of the room, stopping just before he slid the door completely closed.

"…and don't worry about it."

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><p>Sasuke glared at the blond trailing behind him.<p>

"Hurry up! We're already late!"

Sasuke's only response was Naruto's mumbled, "how was I supposed to know your house is on the opposite side of Konoha from the academy?".

Running into the academy, Sasuke made it to the classroom just before Naruto, stopping abruptly to calm himself, before opening the door to walk in.

"Forgive me sense-"

Unable to stop himself in time, Naruto slammed into the last Uchiha and sent them both tumbling into the classroom. Both Naruto and Sasuke's faces turned a bright red as the class' laughter swelled around them.

Sasuke's voice came out as little more than a growl, "dobe…"

"Well, I'm glad you two have finally made it. Get to your seats", Iruka did his best to fight down his shock at Naruto wearing something besides his god-awful orange jumpsuit. Iruka almost fainted, however, when Naruto turned, revealing the Uchiha clan crest on the back of the white t-shirt he was wearing. Swallowing, Iruka forced himself to re-focus on teaching.

"and see me after class today."

Naruto's head dropped when he saw Sasuke stiffen at Iruka's words, already feeling his first potential friend slipping away from him. With a long sigh, Naruto made his way to his normal spot at the back of the classroom and let his head hit the desk with an audible thud.

"Alright class, today we're going to discuss the organization of Konoha's government and military—in particular, how ninja operate. As some of you may be aware, most ninja operate in a 3-person cell. These cells are picked as soon as a group of ninja graduate from the academy and are specifically created to balance and complement the skills of the ninja in them. For instance, if there's a particularly strong ninja, they're often paired with a weaker one in order to help the latter grow. Keep in mind, of course, that weaker and stronger doesn't just mean physical strength…"

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><p>Sasuke sighed as Iruka finally finished his lecture for the day; surveying the class around him, Sasuke found that nearly a quarter of his peers were either nodding off or blatantly sleeping. Smirking, Sasuke waited—this was always his favorite part of the day.<p>

In front of him, Iruka's face was getting redder and redder as he watched his class sleep.

"WAKE UP!"

Iruka's voice shook the room, echoing dully along the academy's hallways.

"EVERYONE OUTSIDE! KUNAI AND SHURIKEN TEST! MOVE IT!"

A chores of groans and mumbled apologies met the new teacher as his students slowly filed outdoors and lined up across from a series of wooden posts.

"Nara! You're up first!"

Shikamaru stepped forward, stifling a yawn. After what seemed like ages, he drew a kunai before flicking it towards the training post. It hit directly in the center…and then bounced off.

"Shikamaru! You have to throw harder! You'll never hurt anyone if you can't even make it stick."

Stifling another yawn, the boy waved his hand at Iruka to signal that he had heard him before moving back to his place in the line.

"Uchiha, you're up next."

With a nod, Sasuke stepped forward, trying to drown out his mother's voice.

'_Did you hear that Sasuke? Itachi's sensei said he hit the target with four shuriken and four kunai on his very first day! Go congratulate him!'_

Growling, the last Uchiha picked up four kunai and four shuriken from the pile Iruka had set down for the class' use. Sensing that his sensei was about to intervene, he crossed his arms and then sent the projectiles streaking towards the target in a single fluid motion. Iruka and the rest of the class watched in amazement as seven stuck the wooden pole and stuck, while the last still managed to skim its target.

Naruto watched as Sasuke's hands wound themselves into fists—clearly displeased with the result of his throw.

"Uzumaki, you're up next."

Nodding dumbly, Naruto stepped forward and looked at the pile of kunai and shuriken in front of him. Tensing, he quickly scooped up four kunai and four shuriken just as Sasuke had done. A moment later, all eight were scattered in different directions, and Iruka was thanking kami that no one had been hit.

"NARUTO! What was that? You could have hurt someone!"

With a huff, Naruto turned and walked back towards the rest of the class to the sound of laughter. Sparing a moment, the blond glanced towards Sasuke and found the other boy frowning at him—a sight that hurt far more than the laughter from the rest of the class.

The rest of the day progressed as Iruka had thought it would; his students were often sleeping, usually couldn't answer his questions, and most were unlikely to graduate. Massaging his temples, the weary chunin wished his throbbing headache would just disappear. Not a moment too soon, a chime sounded, signalling the end of classes for the day.

"Naruto, Sasuke you two stay for a moment."

After the sound of shuffling feet had finally died down, Iruka examined the two boys in front of him.

"Naruto, where did you get that shirt?"

To Iruka's surprise, the blond boy responded with a fierce glare.

"Sasuke let me borrow it, so I didn't steal it if that's what you're wondering."

Iruka's head gave a painful throb as he regarded the two carefully. Finally giving in, he decided to let this puzzle go, so he could find a nice, quiet place to sleep.

"Fine. You're dismissed".

Naruto and Sasuke slowly exited the academy, stopping as both realized that their homes lay in opposite directions.

"I guess I'll see you later."

Sasuke simply grunted in response before letting his feet carry him back towards the compound. Halfway down the street, he heard shouting behind him.

"The demon is wearing a shirt with the Uchiha clan symbol on it!"

"Brat must have stolen it!"

"We better get it back for them, huh?"

Swearing, Sasuke sprinted back towards the academy and Naruto, finding the boy surrounded by a large number of villagers who were rapidly closing in on him. Shoving his way through, Sasuke appeared next to the blond just as one of the men raised his fist.

"I'll take care of this."

Grabbing Naruto by the collar, Sasuke dragged him out from the mob and around the street corner before releasing him.

"I think I should stay with you until you get back to your house."

Naruto simply nodded, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. Without another word, the blond took the lead and set off down the sidewalk.

As soon as Naruto veered off the road and towards his apartment building, Sasuke felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. `building' seemed a gross exaggeration for the hovel that stood before him. From the looks of it, Naruto appeared to be the only one living in the entire rundown structure.

"It's the only place that would let me rent a room. Everyone else left not long after they learned the `demon' was living here."

Sasuke simply nodded, shocked by the contrast between his own home and the dump that stood before him.

Leading Sasuke inside, Naruto navigated his way to his room and found the door ajar. With a sigh, the boy cautiously entered his room, noting that the broken furniture was now even more broken. Behind him, Sasuke walked into the room, gazing at what remained of its furnishings in shock. Not noticing his friend's cautious steps, Sasuke walked into the very center of Naruto's apartment.

"Naruto, wha—"

The blond hit Sasuke full force, carrying the black-haired boy to the floor.

"What the hell dob—"

Sasuke swallowed hard as Naruto pointed at the kunai embedded in the wall where Sasuke's head had been moments earlier, the weapon still vibrating slightly.

"Sometimes they leave traps for me. Be careful."

Sasuke simply nodded in shock.

Several minutes later, Naruto had finished dismantling two other traps and changing back into one of his orange jumpsuits. Folding the clothes that Sasuke had loaned him, Naruto handed them to the other boy and bowed slightly.

"Thank you."

Straightening, Naruto moved to the kunai still embedded in his wall and pulled it out. Looking over the weapon, Naruto's eyes lit up—the blade had several large dents in it, but aside from that it was nearly unblemished. Sasuke watched in surprise as the boy leapt across his apartment and placed the kunai in a worn pouch.

"Naruto, can I see that?"

Giving a confused nod, Naruto handed his weapons pouch to Sasuke. It only took a few seconds for Sasuke to confirm his suspicions; every kunai and shuriken in the pouch was badly damaged and nearly unusable. Suddenly Naruto's notoriously low academy grades began to seem far more malicious than a reflection of the boy's incompetence.

"Naruto, did you ever buy the books for class?"

Naruto's response was a sudden interest in the floor of his apartment. Making up his mind, Sasuke looked at the blond in front of him for several long moments, his rage with the village barely controlled.

"Dobe, get whatever you want from this place; you're coming to live with me."


	3. Graduation

**AN: First of all**, **I apologize for how close this chapter is to canon; unfortunately, I wanted Naruto to have the kage bunshin jutsu...and Mizuki to go away. Things will get much further from canon the longer the story goes. As for some of the questions I've gotten, neither Naruto, nor Sasuke is the `older brother' in the traditional** **sense of the word; I plan on having their dynamic be more on par with one another. As Kaeli-Madym pointed out, canon is a little inconsistent on Sasuke and Naruto's relative ages (I believe they're supposed to be the same...but then why was Naruto enrolled in the academy so much earlier than the Uchiha prodigy?). Since I'm already messing with everyone's ages, I'm planning on having them be about the same age with Naruto perhaps a tad older. Thanks for the reviews! /AN**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Graduation<strong>

Naruto's head spun as he entered the Uchiha compound, a small bag containing all of his possessions lying snugly against his back. When he had followed Sasuke out earlier, he had assumed that this was simply a neighborhood, but no, this was all Sasuke's house.

"This place is huge."

"I'm glad you know how to state the obvious, dobe."

Naruto simply responded with a smile to Sasuke's insult. No matter what the boy said, Sasuke was his first friend, and the last two days alone had earned Sasuke the right to call him names for the rest of his life.

"So where do I stay?"

"The same place you stayed last night."

Sasuke lead Naruto through the compound, pointing out useful shops. After the massacre, everything in the compound had been given to Sasuke, so he rarely needed to leave. Shopping consisted in simply unlocking one of the many buildings in the compound and taking what he needed.

Walking up the steps to one of the smaller houses, Sasuke unlocked the door.

"How does it all stay so clean?"

Sasuke lead Naruto back towards the guest room he had stayed in the previous night.

"After…that night, I was given my entire clan's finances; I just pay for people to clean while I'm at the academy."

Naruto sobered slightly at Sasuke's words.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up."

Sasuke simply shrugged his shoulders noncommittally and waved the blond into his new room.

"It's alright. Hurry up and unpack. We need to start training."

Naruto leapt to work, pulling out a mask, a few orange jumpsuits, and a few gifts from the Hokage. Only a minute later, the blond reappeared in the doorway.

"Where we off to?"

"First the library, then one of the training grounds."

Nodding, Naruto followed Sasuke back through the house and out the door. Descending the stairs, Naruto dropped behind his new friend and turned back towards the house, staring at his new home. After several seconds, Naruto realized that Sasuke had stopped walking only a few yards ahead of him. Quickly running his sleeve across his eyes, Naruto sprinted to where his friend stood. Without a word, Sasuke began walking again.

"Naruto, those things you said in class, were they true? Do you really intend to become strong enough to be the Hokage?"

Hearing the serious tone in Sasuke's voice, Naruto let his mask slip slightly and a bit of steel enter his voice.

"Yes. I'm going to become the strongest ninja in this village and show all of them how wrong they are."

Sasuke nodded. He had always known the blond boy was tough, but Naruto had shattered all of his expectations in the last two days. The boy beside him was beyond just tough; he had gone through more than anyone else his age and was still standing. Sasuke glanced at Naruto as they continued to walk; this was someone who could help him, someone who wanted to be strong just as badly as he did. Naruto felt Sasuke's eyes on him and turned to meet the boy's gaze, blue meeting black, both hiding a determination far beyond their years.

"The academy moves to slowly, but I can't practice unless I have someone to fight against. Someone just as good as I am."

Naruto nodded in understanding.

"You help me, and I help you. We'll become the strongest shinobi in Konoha."

Sasuke nodded, a smile appearing on his face for the first time in months.

"Exactly."

"One thing Sasuke."

Sasuke waited for Naruto to finish his thought, dreading the worst.

"Could I get a change of clothes? I'm not sure I want to wear this any longer than I have to."

Naruto's hand plucked at his orange jumpsuit.

"Yes...but you need to wear those jumpsuits whenever we leave the compound."

Sasuke swallowed hard; he hadn't intended to bring this up until after they had started training.

"I also need you to stay as the worst in the class."

Naruto looked at Sasuke for a long moment before smiling.

"Nice, I hadn't even thought of that."

Sasuke smirked, pleased that his friend had already figured out his plan.

"We're here."

Sasuke unlocked and then pulled open one of the heavy doors of the Uchiha clan library. Stepping into the dusky building, Naruto's eyes widened at the sight of row upon row of scrolls. Rushing past Sasuke, Naruto ran through the library. Taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, weapons training—the library had countless scrolls on all of them.

"Grab whatever interests you. I suggest a little of everything before you specialize too much."

Sasuke's voice echoed through the library as he strolled towards the _katon_ (fire) section of the library. Naruto, for his part, was struggling not to grab every scroll within sight. Taking several deep breaths, Naruto forced himself to focus. He began by grabbing an introductory scroll in each of genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu, and then searching through the weapons scrolls until he found one he liked. Wandering through the library more slowly, he found himself standing in front of a section labeled `fuuinjustu'. The section itself wasn't even a tenth the size of any of the others, and every scroll looked as though it hadn't been read in centuries. Stepping forward, Naruto found the lowest level scroll in the section and opened it. Twenty minutes later, Sasuke found Naruto seated on the floor, engrossed in reading the sealing scroll.

"Naruto, time to go."

The blond boy in front of Sasuke didn't move.

"DOBE!"

Looking as though he were struggling against some invisible force, the blond boy finally managed to tear his eyes away from the parchment in front of him and reseal the scroll.

"Sorry. It was really interesting."

Sasuke grunted, pulling Naruto to his feet, and leading him to one of the training grounds near the Uchiha compound.

"What do you think? Conditioning, taijutsu, sparring, ninjutsu, and then weapons training?"

Naruto smiled, gently placing his bag of scrolls on the ground before beginning to run around the perimeter of the training ground.

"Sounds great! Let's go!"

Matching Naruto's grin, Sasuke ran after his new training partner and friend.

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><p>Sasuke entered his house with a lurch, barely preventing himself from collapsing in the entrance way. Behind him, Naruto wasn't faring any better. Both boys made their way gingerly to the kitchen table and set down their scroll-stuffed bags. Looking down at his now ripped and stained clothing, Sasuke felt a sense of accomplishment well up inside him, a pride he hadn't felt in a long time.<p>

"That was really good."

With a groan, Naruto sat down at the table and began rifling through his bag, finally pulling out the old sealing scroll.

"Yeah it was. I hope you're ready because tomorrow I'm going to kick your ass."

Sasuke smiled at the boy who was now engrossed in reading his scroll.

"I guess I get the shower first. Don't stay up too late—you might be able to actually hit me tomorrow if you get a good night's sleep."

Sasuke's smile widened as Naruto looked away from his scroll long enough to send a glare in his direction. Already planning the next morning's training, Sasuke walked down the hallway towards the bathroom, turning just before he disappeared through the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

Several minutes later, Naruto registered Sasuke's words.

"Wait! Sasuke, what about dinner? You have ramen, right? SASUKE!"

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><p><strong><em>Three Years Later...<em>**

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><p>Naruto rolled over in bed, desperately trying to block out the sunlight that was threatening to wake him. A few seconds later, the alarm clock across the room began blaring. With a guttural curse, the blond launched a kunai at the offending object—striking it square on and ending its screeching.<p>

"I always hated that alarm."

Naruto heard footsteps just outside his room as Sasuke exited his bedroom and headed towards the kitchen.

"Naruto, that's the third one this week. You aren't entitled to say things like that if the clock's brand new."

"Hn."

Naruto dragged himself out of bed, slipping into the orange jumpsuit he forced himself to wear to the academy. Growing up, it hadn't seemed that bad, but now the orange catastrophe only served to remind him of his past—memories that were better left buried.

Shutting his door, Naruto found Sasuke already seated at the kitchen table devouring a bowl of cereal. Stepping into the kitchen proper, Naruto wandered towards the cabinet that held his precious instant ramen. A moment before Naruto could pull the door open, a kunai pinned it shut.

"It's breakfast, dobe."

"Yeah, what about it?"

Naruto jerked the kunai free of the cabinet and rescued his breakfast. Several minutes later, he joined Sasuke at the kitchen table, a steaming bowl of ramen in hand.

"The normal?"

Sasuke nodded, wrinkling his nose as Naruto inhaled his ramen.

"That's disgusting."

Naruto smiled before taking his bowl to the sink and washing it.

"So is your face."

Sasuke let out a low growl towards his roommate.

"Watch it Uzumaki. I might have to kick your ass a little harder than normal this morning."

Sasuke stood as Naruto shouldered his bag, grabbing his own backpack before leading their way out the door.

"I would love to see you try, Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto let his voice rise at the end of his taunt, imitating the shrieking banshees that constantly chased the boy. In front of him, Sasuke stiffened for a moment before relaxing.

"God damn it, Naruto. Don't scare me like that! I thought one of them was here."

Both boys broke into laughter as the sun slowly rose over the horizon. Making their way to their normal training ground, both dropped their packs and began running around the field. After several laps, both began practicing taijutsu forms, focusing on pushing their bodies' to remember the fluid movements, so they could replicate them in the middle of a fight.

At some unknown signal, both stopped their practice and turned to one another, falling into fighting stances and preparing to spar.

Two hours later, Sasuke slipped into their academy classroom, mere moments before class was set to start. Instantly, he felt ten pairs of female eyes fall on him. Grinding his teeth, Sasuke prepared himself for the screeching.

"Sasuke-kun!"

The chorus of high-pitched voices caused even Iruka to wince. Seeing several of the girls about to get into a fight over the seat next to Sasuke, Iruka pinched his nose and raised his voice.

"Sit down, all of you! We're starting class!"

Sasuke groaned as Ino and Sakura slid smoothly into the seats on either side of him. Desperately glancing around him for another seat, Sasuke saw Naruto slide stealthily into the room, take a seat in the back, and pretend to fall asleep—albeit not before giving Sasuke a mocking smile and thumbs up.

'_I'm so going to beat him into the ground tonight.'_

Turning back towards the front of the room and preparing to take the pain as best he could, Sasuke scowled and tried to block out both girls' incessant nagging.

Clearing his voice, Iruka addressed the class and noted that a few of his students had already fallen asleep.

"Today will be your graduation test. If you perform well, each of you will be assigned to a genin team and given a jonin sensei. When your name is called, you'll come with Mizuki or me to the testing room."

Iruka gestured vaguely to the white-haired chunin next to him in case any of the students weren't familiar with the ninja.

"Hyuga Hinata, you're up first!"

Naruto watched as the purple-haired girl stood and followed Iruka out of the room, silently wishing her good luck and apologizing that he couldn't say it out loud—yet. Naruto's thoughts about the Hyuga heiress were abruptly interrupted by a swift elbow to his side. The blow was weak, but Naruto made of show of grabbing his side and falling out of his chair. Standing above him, Ikumo smirked.

"No one here to protect yet now is there demon? C'mon Tato, we're going make sure the demon isn't graduating anytime soon."

Cracking his knuckles, Tato stepped into Naruto's line of sight. Grinding his teeth, Naruto prepared himself to take the beating while the other students in the class began cheering.

'_Only a few more days, and then I can drop this act.'_

Naruto flexed his abs and covered his head as Ikumo drew his foot back. A moment later, Ikumo was pinned to the wall, cracks forming where his body had impacted the wood. A trickle of blood escaped the boy's mouth as Sasuke tightened his grip on the boy's neck.

"I'm trying to study. You can beat on the dobe after class ends."

Naruto mentally thanked Sasuke as he made a show of scrambling away from his attackers, passing several girls who had swooned at Sasuke's show of power in the process. A moment after Sasuke had seated himself again, Iruka re-entered the room.

"Uzumaki Naruto, your turn."

Naruto stood and followed Iruka out of the room, passing a blushing Hinata on the way. Meeting her eyes, Naruto gave the girl a grin that nearly made her faint. Feeling good, Naruto walked to the center of the small testing room, facing Mizuki and Iruka over a plain table.

"Alright Naruto, we want you to do the bunshin jutsu."

'_Hmph, too easy. I guess I better make a bit of a show of this though—probably just one bunshin.'_

Naruto quickly formed the ram, snake, and tiger hand signs and made a show of gathering his chakra. At the table, he saw Mizuki role his pencil toward Iruka's side of the desk. Time seemed to slow down as Iruka's attention shifted to the pencil on the desk and Mizuki formed handsigns of his own.

"Bunshin no justu!" (clone technique)

As the smoke around Naruto cleared, a half-formed and completely useless clone appeared beside him. Resisting the urge to glare at Mizuki, Naruto bowed his head and waited for the inevitable.

"Naruto, I'm sorry, but I can't pass you."

"Iruka, he did make a clone, we could just let him pass."

Mizuki's voice was sickeningly sweet, as though he hadn't just cast a genjutsu over them and masked Naruto's perfectly fine clone.

"No Mizuki, everyone else was able to make at least three clones. I'm sorry Naruto."

Nodding his head, Naruto excused himself from the room and traced his way back to the classroom. Opening the door, he walked back to his seat in the back of the room, signaling Sasuke to stay away from him as he passed by.

'_Something's wrong here. Why would Mizuki risk me simply talking to Iruka later and showing him I can do the bunshin jutsu…there has to be something more to this...'_

The rest of the day passed quickly. When everyone had taken the graduation exam, they were released, and Naruto made his way to a swing he was all too familiar with from his childhood, still attempting to decipher Mizuki's motives. Naruto didn't have to wait long. Mizuki landed in the branches above him after only a few minutes, instructing Naruto to follow him.

* * *

><p>Leaning against a small woodshed reading the forbidden scroll, Naruto chuckled at Mizuki's plan—who would have thought that the bastard was trying to get an academy student to do his dirty work. With a sigh, Naruto began practicing the first jutsu listed in the scroll, the <em>kage bunshin<em>. After an hour, Naruto had the gist of it and began copying as many of the safer jutsu as he could. Another hour passed before a cardinal's mating call echoed through the forest. Cursing his luck, Naruto tucked his scroll away and re-wound the forbidden scroll, turning to face whoever had managed to find him.

Hiding in the shadows several yards into the forest, Sasuke repeated the cardinal's call, signaling Naruto that whoever was closing in was close. A few moments later, Sasuke made out Iruka's distinctive form emerging from the forest and his voice drowning out every other sound.

"NARUTO!"

Watching as the dobe absently scratched the back of his head and shuffled his feet, Sasuke had to admit that Naruto was quite the actor. If he hadn't helped the boy plan out exactly what he would say, Sasuke would almost have believed the blond himself.

Sasuke's grip tightened on the kunai in his hand as Mizuki appeared behind Iruka and Naruto, launching an attack at their sensei. Much to his relief, Iruka managed to mostly avoid the barrage of kunai and shuriken. Sasuke began to creep forward, attempting to get into position to take out Mizuki. It would be better if Naruto and Iruka did it themselves, but there wasn't any point in Naruto keeping things undercover if he got killed.

"MIZUKI DON'T"

At this range, Sasuke could only hear Iruka's shouting as Mizuki clearly ignored their teacher's instructions. Sasuke grinned as Naruto took the acting up another notch, watching as Mizuki flung one of his giant shuriken at Naruto. Sasuke waited for Naruto to dodge the throw, realizing a moment too late that Naruto had stopped acting, that his friend was in shock and incapable of dodging. Cursing, Sasuke launched himself from his position, knowing he wouldn't make it in time.

Naruto watched as Mizuki's shuriken bore down on him, and yet, he couldn't force himself to move. It all made so much sense. The hatred, the beatings, it was all because he held the kyuubi within him. The wet splatter of blood across his face brought Naruto back to reality. Above him was Iruka, Mizuki's shuriken embedded in his back.

"W-Why?"

Naruto watched as Iruka's eyes unfocused, memories playing before them.

"Because you're the same as me Naruto. After my parents died, no one ever complimented me or recognized me. Being the bad student I was, I screwed up a lot during class…because I wanted to get everyone's attention. I couldn't get attention when I was a good student, so I acted like an idiot. It was tough…right, Naruto? You were lonely, and it was tough."

Iruka coughed and Naruto heard Mizuki's laughter in the distance.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. You didn't have to feel that way if I was more aware."

Naruto gazed at Iruka; it was true that his life had been hard, but he had never thought that anyone besides Sasuke had noticed. Naruto felt tears slowly slide down his cheeks as he looked at Iruka, the only academy instructor who had even given him a shot. Clenching his fists, Naruto grabbed the forbidden scroll and ran straight at Mizuki before cutting to his right and vanishing into the forest. As he had hoped, Mizuki left Iruka and chose to follow him instead.

'_I won't let any of my precious people die.'_

Naruto willed his body to move faster, to put more distance between them and Iruka.

"Naruto! What Mizuki said back there was all a lie! Hand over the scroll to me! Mizuki is after it!"

Naruto stumbled as the sound of Iruka's voice drifted through the forest, followed moments later by his own. Turning, Naruto made his way back to a clearing where Iruka was standing over…him. Withdrawing a kunai, Naruto crept forward, hoping that it wasn't Sasuke and Iruka who were henge'd.

"How did you know I'm not Iruka?"

With a sign, the Iruka-henge dropped and Mizuki appeared. The henge'd Naruto smiled up at the traitorous chunin.

"Because I'm Iruka."

With a poof, Iruka appeared in Naruto's place. His target identified, Naruto loosed his kunai at Mizuki and landed in front of the downed Iruka, eyes blazing. Mizuki dodged Naruto's throw and smiled at the new arrival, his eyes shifting greedily to the scroll on the boy's back.

"You hurt someone who accepted me."

Naruto crossed his fingers into his newest hand seal.

"And now you're going to pay."

Across from Naruto, Mizuki broke out into laughter.

"And what do you think you're going to do boy? You failed the graduation test three times! I'm a chunin!"

Naruto ground his teeth together, putting every drop of his chakra into his new jutsu.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" (Shadow Clone Jutsu)

Mizuki's eyes widened at the sheer number of clones now surrounding him. Without a word, all of them drew kunai and descended on the chunin. A few yards away, Sasuke placed his kunai back in his weapons pouch, listening to Mizuki scream as Naruto pummeled the man into unconsciousness. When the blond-haired boy finally dispelled his clones, Mizuki was nothing more than a mass of blood and bruises. Satisfied that the danger was gone, Sasuke faded back into the forest and towards home. Behind him, Iruka removed his Konoha hitaite and tied it around Naruto's forehead.

"Congratulations Naruto. You've graduated."


	4. Bells

**AN: Thanks for the reviews! I hope you enjoy! /AN**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Bells<strong>

For the first time, Naruto entered his classroom in the academy not as an orange jumpsuit wearing prankster, but as a shinobi. The flamboyant clothing had been swapped for a pair of simple black sandals, loose black pants, and a tight-fitting mesh shirt covered by a loose white shirt in the Chinese style, the front left slightly unbuttoned. Naruto's newly acquired hitaite was tied around his left bicep, a tanto and a weapons pouch lay on the backside of his waist, and a second pouch sat against his left thigh. Entering behind Naruto, Sasuke too had traded out his academy clothing for new gear. He now wore the same black, fingerless gloves and arm guards as Naruto, but with a long-sleeved black shirt, his Konha hitaite around his forehead, and white shorts. A pair of black sandals, tape around his shins, and a weapons pouch on both his hip and left leg completed the outfit. Iruka's eyes widened as Sasuke cleared the doorframe, revealing what looked like a black katana strapped to his back.

The transformation was astonishing even to Iruka. A few other students had added an accessory or two and all now wore their hitaite, but Naruto and Sasuke looked more like ANBU than genin. With a smile, Iruka realized that Sasuke's admirers had been shocked into silence at the boys' change in wardrobe.

Naruto felt the class' eyes rapidly flipping between him and Sasuke, between hatred and awe. Fighting back his emotions, Naruto focused on one of the only people who didn't seem to hate him.

"Good morning, Hinata"

The purple-haired girl slowly raised her violet eyes and met Naruto's cerulean-immediately letting out a short 'eeep' and fainting. Despite himself, Naruto found the girl's reaction endearing and felt his spirits raising.

"What the hell did you do to her? Your not even supposed to be-"

Naruto vaguely registered Kiba shouting at him from across the room. Sasuke watched in amusement as Naruto turned towards Kiba, and met his eyes. Kiba visibly paled under Naruto's glare, his mouth hanging open.

Sliding into an empty row, Naruto took the middle of the three seats allowing Sasuke to take the seat to his left and effectively preventing any of his stalke…admirers from sitting next to him.

As if on cue, life returned to the classroom, and Iruka let out a breathe he hadn't realized he was holding. Glancing at the clock, Iruka rearranged his papers and prepared to start class.

"Alright. Everyone present graduated, and so—"

The classroom door burst open, revealing both Ino and Sakura breathing heavily and attempting to slip past the other into the room. After a moment of fighting, the girls slipped through at the same time, both declaring their victory.

"Sakura, Ino! Take a seat you're late!"

Iruka swallowed as both girls turned their murderous eyes on him, and then breathed a sigh of relief seconds later when they found something else to occupy their attention.

"SASUKE-KUN!"

Both girls launched themselves in the direction of the last Uchiha, Ino barely beating Sakura to the last open chair in the row.

"Sorry, billboard brow! Looks like you need to sit somewhere else."

Iruka watched as the pink-haired girl fumed, absently tapping his pencil on his desk as he waited for the obnoxious girl to finally take a seat. Without warning, Sakura turned towards the only occupant of the row aside from Sasuke and Ino, swinging her fist as hard as she could.

"MOVE IT, NARUTO-BAKA!"

Sakura felt her fist connect—and then immediately stop moving. A moment later, she recognized not the side of Naruto's face, but rather a glove-clad hand holding her fist.

"Allow me to make this clear."

Sasuke slowly lifted his head to look into the pink-haired kunoichi's eyes.

"I don't want anything to do with you, and if you ever try to hit him again, I'm going to make sure you won't be getting up the next day. Understood?"

Sasuke's foot made contact with Sakura's stomach a moment later, sending the pink-haired kunoichi into the next row of desks.

Iruka found his voice just as Sasuke sat back down beside Naruto, and the classroom erupted into chaos.

"Why the hell did you do that to Sakura?"

"Why are you protecting the demon?"

"Finally!"

"ENOUGH!"

Iruka slammed his hands down on his desk and silenced his class. Turning to a stunned Sakura, Iruka quickly searched the girl for serious damage.

"Sakura, are you alright?"

As the pink-haired girl nodded, Iruka allowed his face to shift from concern to anger.

"Consider that punishment for attempting to strike a fellow Konoha shinobi. You're not children anymore."

Before Sakura could respond, Iruka cleared his throat and rushed into his duties for the day.

"As I was saying, you've all graduated, and so you're going to be assigned to a genin team and given a jonin sensei. After I finish assigning teams, you're to report to your designated meeting area, and meet your sensei. Team 1 ... "

As more teams were named, Sasuke found his heart beating faster and faster. All the deception, all the planning had been for this moment; he needed to be on the same team as Naruto—together they would be unstoppable.

"Team 7: Uchiha Sasuke,"

Both Naruto and Sasuke's knuckles turned white as their hands clenched, anticipating Iruka's next few words.

"Uzumaki Naruto,"

The two boys shared a grin as Iruka made a mental note to figure out what, precisely, had caused the two boys who had almost no interaction in class to suddenly behave like best friends.

"and Haruno Sakura. Your sensei will be meeting you here after we finish."

Sakura swallowed as two pairs of unfriendly eyes fell on her.

"Team 8: Hyuga Hinata, Aburame Shin, and Inuzuka Kiba. Meet at training ground 8…"

It only took a few more minutes for Iruka to exhaust the list.

"Congratulations to all of you! I hope you enjoyed your time here, and I wish all of you good luck."

With a short bow, Iruka let his eyes sweep over the graduates one last time before exiting the classroom.

* * *

><p>Naruto let a low growl out of his throat as he checked the clock for at least the tenth time.<p>

"Bastard is over two hours late."

Sasuke grunted in response, clearly just as displeased with their sensei.

"I say we give him a proper greeting."

Sakura, sitting across the classroom from her teammates, watched in horror as the two boys placed one of the chalkboard erasers above the entrance way and then suspended a second on ninja wire, rigged to fall after the first. Returning to their seats, the two genin now watched the door with open anticipation.

Kakashi arrived outside the academy classroom even later than he had originally intended—not that it particularly mattered. Genin were genin; they could wait. Gripping the slightly ajar door, the jonin noticed the eraser pinned above it and absently shrugged his shoulders. It wouldn't hurt too much to let the genin have their fun. Pulling the door open, Kakashi noticed the eraser above his head begin to fall…and a second eraser swing towards his face, suspended on ninja wire.

Sasuke and Naruto held their breath as someone triggered the trap, moments away from being completely covered in chalk dust. A blast of wind rocked the genin as both erasers struck only air. Sitting on the desk in the front of the room was a silver-haired shinobi wearing a jonin vest and absently flipping pages in an orange book.

"That was a little much for even me to put up with."

Kakashi snapped his book closed, and surveyed his team.

"Let me see…as for my first impression…I hate you."

The pink-haired girl responded exactly as he had anticipated, her head dropping and looking dejected at his disapproval. The two boys, however, did nothing of the such; instead unleashing identical glares at the man who was, presumably, their sensei.

Smiling below his mask, Kakashi shifted his gaze to the boys.

"Meet me on the roof in two minutes."

Glancing at the three genin one last time, Kakashi shushin'd to the roof and reopened his orange novel, waiting on his genin. Kakashi took time to further examine his team as they approached, comparing his own thoughts with their files. Needless to say, the Uchiha lived up to his title of rookie of the year, looking every inch the elite he was supposed to be. The Uzumaki boy, however, appeared nothing like how his file described him. He hadn't yet opened his mouth, seemed to get along with the Uchiha, and looked every inch a shinobi. His last genin was again a slight shock. According to her file, she should have been loud, annoying, and clamoring to get the Uchiha's attention. Kakashi tapped his index finger against his chin as the genin seated themselves, already working on deciphering each genin.

"We're going to start with introductions. I'll go first since you three don't seem very talkative. My name is Kakashi Hatake. I have some hobbies, some dislikes, and my dreams for the future are…for me to know. Now, what about you pinky?"

Sakura managed to meet her sensei's eyes as she introduced herself, fighting back tears as she recalled Sasuke's actions earlier that day.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. I like…books. I don't like Naruto", Sakura shot a fierce glare at the blond boy, "and my dreams for the future are…" Kakashi watched in amusement as the girl appeared at a loss for words, her eyes frantically shifting towards the Uchiha and then away again.

"Good enough."

"You next."

Kakashi vaguely gestured to Sasuke.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like to train and beat the dobe into the ground. I dislike weak girls who can't take a hint", Sasuke's eyes shifted from Naruto to Sakura, "and my dream for the future is to revive my clan and kill a certain someone."

Kakashi continued to watch Sasuke for several seconds after his introduction, measuring how much damage Itachi had done.

"You next blondy."

Naruto stared at his sensei before beginning, making it clear the nickname wasn't appreciated.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen, training, and showing Sasuke exactly how badly he sucks. I dislike waiting for my ramen to cook and people who can't see past their own hatred. My dream for the future is to become the strongest Hokage Konoha has ever had."

Kakashi nodded at the boy, silently thanking kami that his sensei's son had turned out this well.

"Well that was fun."

Kakashi stood and dusted off his pants.

"I'll see you three tomorrow at 6am in training ground 3. Oh, and don't eat breakfast—you'll throw up."

With a jovial wave, Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving three annoyed genin behind him.

* * *

><p>Naruto groaned as he rolled over, trying to get comfortable on the hard dirt.<p>

"We should have expected that bastard to be late."

A few feet away, Sasuke nodded his agreement before letting his eyes shift to their teammate, restraining a snicker.

"At least we ate breakfast."

Huddled several feet away from Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura buried her head in her hands, trying to forget about how tired and hungry she was.

"Yo! Sorry I'm late! A black cat crossed my path and …"

Kakashi's visible eye twitched as the three genin in front of him didn't even bother to turn around.

"Get up. Now."

Hearing the sudden change in their sensei's voice, all three genin scrambled to their feet—and met Kakashi's smiling face. Reaching into his bag, Kakashi produced two bells with a sweeping gesture.

"Each of you will be trying to get a bell from me. Those who do become genin; those who don't go back to the academy. You'll have three hours."

"So one goes back no matter what."

Kakashi nodded to Naruto.

"Correct."

"Any other questions? No? Then we start in three, two, one…"

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance as both raced into the surrounding forest. Watching the two vanish, Sakura ran in the opposite direction, tears sliding silently down her cheeks.

Seeing all his genin successfully hidden, Kakashi removed his orange book and flipped to a random page, waiting for one of them to make a move.

Only three pages later, Kakashi heard the distinctive sound of shuriken slicing through leaves. Moving faster than the genin could follow, the silver-haired jonin alternated between dodging and catching the projectiles sent towards him, pausing for only a second before sending those he caught back towards their owners. Kakashi allowed himself to smile as both Naruto and Sasuke appeared on the tree line, running straight towards him. Slowly placing his book back in his pouch, the copy-nin turned to face his genin.

Naruto leapt into the air mere moments before reaching Kakashi, swinging his leg around in a roundhouse kick. Kakashi grunted as he blocked the blow—the kid hit far harder than he had expected. A quick kawarimi saved Kakashi as Sasuke's kunai tore into what had been his body only moments before. Not missing a beat, both boys turned and continued their assault.

"Lesson one: Tai—"

Kakashi glared as both Sasuke and Naruto flung kunai at him, forcing the jonin to cut off his speech to dodge.

"justu."

Falling into a defensive stance, Kakashi waited for the boys to attack again and was rewarded as Sasuke rushed forward. At the last moment, the Uchiha's hand slipped back to his katana. The draw cut the air just below Kakashi as he jumped over the attack.

"Fuuton: Goukuuhou no jutsu!" (Wind Style: Great Air Cannon)

Naruto's attack shattered a log as Kakashi kawamiri'd again.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!" (Fire Style: Grand Fireball)

Kakashi grimaced as the Uchiha exhaled towards him—and nothing happened. With an audible poof Sasuke vanished and a fireball crashed into the jonin from behind.

Naruto drew his tanto as he surveyed the area that Sasuke's jutsu had decimated. As expected, there was no sign of their jonin instructor. Beside him, he heard Sasuke redraw his katana.

"It doesn't seem fair that you're using swords when all I have are kunai."

Sasuke and Naruto dove away seconds before the earth beneath them exploded, a Kakashi clone leaping out to engage each of them.

A short distance away, Kakashi fingered his singed shirt. Naruto and Sasuke had proven more formidable that he had thought possible for genin fresh out of the academy. Nonetheless, he wouldn't be underestimating them anymore. While his clones tired them out, he would test just how strong the Haruno girl was.

Kakashi smiled as he found the girl nervously watching Naruto and Sasuke fight his clones.

"Sakura-chan"

The girl turned as Kakashi activated his genjutsu, falling easily into the jonin's trap.

In the clearing, Sasuke grunted as one of Kakashi's shadow clones pushed his katana backwards with a kunai. Glimpsing Naruto suddenly disengaging with his opponent, Sasuke twisted his blade and pivoted around the clone, using the force of its own attack against it. Spinning Sasuke brought his katana around as fast as he could and decapitated the clone chasing Naruto. His blond teammate immediately returned the favor by burying his tanto in the clone Sasuke had been fighting. As both vanished, Sasuke and Naruto heard Sakura's scream echo across the training ground.

A moment later, Kakashi reappeared, bearing the unconscious kunoichi under his arm. Drawing a kunai, Kakashi placed the blade against his hostage's neck.

"Sasuke! Knock Naruto out or Sakura dies."

Kakashi's eye widened in surprise as Sasuke simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Why would I do that? Naruto's worth a lot more than she is."

Kakashi eyed the boy for a moment before turning his gaze to the blond.

"Naruto, Knock Sasuke out or Sakura dies."

Naruto smiled at his sensei as he drew a kunai with his off hand and circled towards the jonin's blind side.

"Sorry Kakashi-sensei. No can do."

Across from them, Kakashi scowled.

"So, you would sacrifice a teammate just to complete this exercise?"

"No,"

Naruto's voice originated far to Kakashi's right, forcing him to loose sight of the Uchiha to make sure the blond wasn't closing in on him.

"We just won't lose because of her."

Kakashi snapped his head back to the left, finding Sasuke exactly where he had left him.

"Then what do you intend to—"

Kakashi growled as he found himself holding not Sakura, but one of Naruto's clones. Tightening his grip on the offending object, he dispelled it and glared at its creator.

"Isn't kawarimi a wonderful technique sensei?"

Under his arm, Naruto now held his pink-haired teammate. Despite himself, Kakashi smiled. They had both come within a hairs breadth of failing, but had also managed to recover their teammate safely.

"Naruto, exactly how many shadow clones do you have hidden around here?"

Naruto smiled at his cyclopean sensei.

"About this many."

Kakashi braced himself as thirty clones seemed to materialize out of nowhere and rush him. Falling into a taijutsu stance, Kakashi waited until the clones were almost on top of him. Making hand seals faster than most ninja could follow, Kakashi's voice echoed over the clearing.

"Raiton: Ikazuchi Hakai" (Lightning Destruction)

Kakashi's lightning coated hand struck the ground seconds later, sending lighting coursing through the ground and obliterating large portions of it along with Naruto's clones.

Beside Naruto, Sasuke smirked, making the snake seal.

"I advise you run, Kakashi-sensei..."

The silver-haired jonin's eyes widened as he glimpsed the exploding tags that had been attached to all the clones

"Baku."

The blast rocked the clearing, forcing both Sasuke and Naruto to cover their faces. Before the dust had cleared, however, clapping began to echo out of the smoke.

"That was pretty good—for genin. You're going to have to do better than that if you want to get the bells, though."

Kakashi walked out of the smoking crater created by the explosive tags, seemingly unfazed by the massive explosion.

"You hear that, Naruto. He said we have to do better."

Beside Sasuke, the blond boy grinned.

"I've always thought bigger was better."

Sasuke gave his teammate a matching grin before both turned back towards their sensei, flipping through hand seals.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!" (Fire Style: Grand Fireball)

"Futon: Daitoppa no justu!" (Wind Style: Great Break Through)

Kakashi grunted as the two jutsu combined and swirled into a massive firestorm…racing right towards him.

'_I need to stop these two before they completely destroy this training ground.'_

Both Naruto and Sasuke rushed forward behind their jutsu, intent on finally capturing the bells that would ensure their continued standing as genin. Behind them, the ground erupted as Kakashi leapt out and raced towards the two unsuspecting genin. Sasuke saw Kakashi before Naruto, his mouth opening to shout a warning as Kakashi's hand struck the back of his head. A moment later, Naruto joined the raven-haired boy on the ground. With a sigh, Kakashi picked up his last two genin and deposited them beside Sakura. Sitting down to consider what, exactly, he should do with them.

Several minutes later, a swirl of leaves alerted Kakashi that he was no longer alone.

"I take it you saw what happened?"

Walking forward, the third Hokage gazed down at the three unconscious genin, his eyes staying on Naruto and Sasuke considerably longer than Sakura.

"It was hard not to."

Kakashi nodded as the Hokage surveyed what remained of the training ground.

"Most of those attacks were high genin to chunin level, and Sasuke and Naruto's teamwork was excellent."

Kakashi watched the smoke curling off the crater where he had been standing when the two boys attacked him.

"That said, they completely ignored Sakura until she was taken hostage."

Beside him, Hiruzen nodded.

"It appears that there was an altercation today in class; Sakura attempted to strike Naruto, and Sasuke apparently didn't take kindly to that."

Kakashi nodded his head in understanding, finally seeing the reason behind his team's strange behavior. Hiruzen turned his gaze on the lone kunoichi in the team, his eyes hardening.

"The girl is also far behind her teammates. In all honesty, she would have weighed them down."

"What do you want to do, Hokage-sama?"

The elderly kage stroked his chin as he regarded the three genin.

"Pass them, but make it clear it was just barely. Then do your best to bring the girl up to their level and fast; if she isn't trying, we'll switch her to another team. These two have shown a great deal of determination in the last few years, and I won't have them weighed down by someone who's unwilling to work."

Kakashi nodded, accepting the Hokage's judgement. Satisfied, Hiruzen turned away from his jonin and began walking toward the training ground's exit.

"You knew about this didn't you?"

Without breaking stride, Hiruzen reached up and pulled his hat forward, masking his face in shadows.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Kakashi. All the reports said that Sasuke was the strongest in the class, and Naruto the weakest. It's only natural that I paired them together in a team."

Hearing the amusement in the Hokage's voice, Kakashi couldn't help but smile himself.

"Indeed, it was only natural."


	5. Team 7

**AN: This one is a little shorter (apologies), but I felt like the last scene was a good place to break. I had a lot of fun writing this one, so I hope you enjoy! \AN**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Team 7<strong>

Sakura woke with a start, immediately finding her limbs bound. Struggling against her bonds, the pink-haired kunoichi surveyed the area around her. Kakashi sat a few yards in front of her reading his orange book, while Naruto and Sasuke were tied to logs to her right. Turning back to her sensei, Sakura found the jonin now watching her.

Kakashi stood with a sigh; he had been dreading this conversation, but it was his duty. As the silver-haired jonin approached, Sakura became visibly uncomfortable—it didn't take a genius to guess that she hadn't done well in Kakashi's 'survival exercise'.

"Kakashi-sensei, I…"

Kakashi looked expectantly at the girl for several seconds, waiting for her to continue.

"I'm sorry."

Kakashi nodded as the girl hung her head, tears again flowing down her face.

"Why are you crying Sakura?"

Kakashi knelt down in front of the girl, preparing himself.

"B-b-because Sasuke said he—"

Kakashi's fist met Sakura's stomach with an audible thud, the log behind her creaking under the force.

"Wrong. Why are you crying Sakura?"

The pink haired girl raised her head in shock, her face a contortion of anger, fear, and misery.

"Answer me Sakura"

"I ALREADY—"

Kakashi's fist buried itself in Sakura's stomach again, the log behind her cracking slightly.

"Wrong again."

Kakashi's heart lurched as the genin in front of him turned into a mass of tears-a feeling he mercilessly crushed.

"Still wrong."

Kakashi's fist made contact with Sakura's cheek, shocking the girl out of her tears and leaving a large welt.

"Why are you crying Sakura?"

Instead of answering, the pink-haired girl lurched against the ropes holding her, trying her hardest to hurt the man in front of her in any way she could.

"Better. Why are you angry Sakura?"

Sakura glared at the silver-haired jonin before spitting out an answer.

"Because you hit me for no reason you asshole."

"Why can I hit you?"

Sakura fumed, rubbing herself raw in her attempt to escape her confines.

"Because I'm tied up!"

Kakashi's fist connected with Sakura's other cheek, leaving another bruise.

"Wrong. Do you think for an instant that I couldn't do this if you weren't tied up?"

Sakura's head dropped, her anger forgotten.

"No."

"Why can I hit you?"

Sakura looked at Kakashi for several seconds before responding.

"Because you're stronger than me."

Sakura closed her eyes as Kakashi drew back his fist, opening them in shock when she only received a flick to the forehead.

"Close. That makes it sound like I'm special. Do you doubt at all that Sasuke or Naruto could do this to you too?"

Sakura swallowed.

"I'm weak."

Kakashi nodded as tears once again began to flow down Sakura's face.

"Wrong."

Kakashi's fist impacted Sakura's stomach, sending the girl wheezing for breath.

"You're physically weak Sakura, but that's not your problem."

Kakashi's finger stabbed the pink-haired kunoichi above her heart.

"This is your problem. Sasuke did that to you because you were weak on the inside. I'm hitting you now because you're weak inside. You're physically weak because you're weak on the inside."

Kakashi's face hardened as he looked at the genin in front of him.

"You're smart, but you never do more than you have to. You quit whenever things get difficult. You believe whatever others say and have no confidence in yourself. Your weakness is in your heart."

Kakashi turned towards the two unconscious genin tied to the other logs.

"Those two are strong Sakura, and that's why they look down on you. They've had hard lives and fought through it; despite everything life threw at them, they kept going and never gave up. You had it easy. You had a family and friends. And yet, you've made nothing of yourself; these two are so far ahead of you it's laughable."

Standing, Kakashi looked down at the girl in front of him, preparing his last test.

"I don't need a weak shinobi, Sakura. At this rate, you'll just get your comrades killed. Quit now."

Kakashi watched as Sakura's emotions played across her face. A long sigh escaped Kakashi as the girl's head again dropped. She really was too weak.

"I understand Kakashi-sensei. I don't want to hold them back."

Kakashi held Sakura's gaze for a full minute.

"Wrong again Sakura...I hope someday you understand…"

Kakashi pulled a kunai out of his pouch and cut the ropes holding the girl to her post.

"You're dismissed. I'll arrange for you to be transferred to another team until we can find a permanent position."

Sakura stood and bowed to the silver-haired jonin, her face careful schooled into a blank expression.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi nodded, watching as Sakura left the training ground. When the pink-haired girl had vanished, the jonin ran a shaky hand through his hair, hoping he had made the right choice and hadn't asked too much of the girl. With a sigh, Kakashi turned back towards the two remaining members of team 7.

'_This isn't the way the bell test is supposed to go.'_

* * *

><p>Sasuke woke with a start, finding Kakashi seated a few feet in front of him. A quick glance at the sun showed that they were out of time, that they had failed. A sharp kick to the shin brought Naruto back to the world as well.<p>

"We're out of time, dobe. We failed."

Next to him, Naruto grunted, and then swung his head side to side, looking for their teammate.

"Sensei, where's Sakura?"

Both genin watched Kakashi as he stood and walked towards them. Standing in front of them, Kakashi took the time to stare both boys down.

"Gone. You abandoned a comrade in a fight, and now she's gone."

Sasuke almost kicked himself as the pieces fell into place; the near impossibility of the test, the two bells, the lack of food and sleep—it was all so they wouldn't work as a team.

"This test…it was about teamwork wasn't it?"

Kakashi nodded at the Uchiha boy.

"And you two failed; you left Sakura out to dry, and she became an easy target."

Both genin had the good sense to look ashamed.

"So we're done?"

Kakashi looked at Naruto for several moments before responding.

"No, not quite. You did rescue Sakura, and you two worked well together. That said, Sakura no longer wished to be a part of the team."

As he had hoped, the comment visibly stung both boys. Despite their dislike for her, Sakura hadn't been a bad person, and neither had wanted to hurt her without reason.

"For now, we continue. I want you to remember one thing though: a ninja who breaks the rules is regarded as trash, but a ninja who abandons their comrades is worse than trash. You two are worse than trash right now—hope that you find a way to make amends."

Without another word, Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving both boys ashamed and still tied to their respective polls.

* * *

><p>"Hokage-sama."<p>

Kakashi bowed as Hiruzen turned away from the window, mildly surprised that Kakashi had already returned.

"Haruno Sakura failed again; that said, I believe it may be harsh to remand her to the academy. I suggest temporary placement with another team until an opening arises."

The elderly kage regarded the silver-haired jonin.

"You were hard on them weren't you Kakashi?"

"No harder than I needed to be. The Haruno girl has no spirit; she wouldn't have been able to catch up to them—at least not as she is now. As for the boys, they abandoned a comrade and that is unforgivable."

Hiruzen nodded, smoke curling out of his pipe.

"Just remember Kakashi, even you failed the bell test the first time. It's how they learn from it that matters."

Nodding, Kakashi bowed again and prepared to leave.

"One last thing Kakashi. It seems that there aren't any suitable replacements for the Haruno girl at the moment, so team 7 will, for the time being, remain as it is now."

Kakashi gave another quick nod before disappearing.

Letting out a sigh, the third Hokage turned back to his window, gazing at the faces of his predecessors and first successor.

'_Things sure have gotten messy.'_

* * *

><p>Naruto groaned as his alarm sounded, its infernal shrieking rousing him just when Hinata was about to kiss him.<p>

With a tired sigh, the blond boy stomped across his room, picked up the clock, and crushed it between his palms. Walking past Naruto's door, Sasuke groaned.

"God dammit Naruto! We don't have a infinite supply of those!"

"It was annoying!"

Shaking his head, Sasuke made his way to the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of cereal.

Like every morning, the two arrived at their training ground a short time later. Dropping their bags, both boys started to run around the training ground's perimeter, stopping after only a few feet.

"Kakashi-sensei."

In front of them stood their sensei, leaning against the training ground's fence with book in hand. Glancing away from his erotica, Kakashi gave the pair of genin a scowl.

"Since you were already getting up this early to train, I figured I might as well train you properly."

Both boys nodded as Kakashi pushed off the fence and stood before them.

"Before you start your physical training, we're going to add weights though."

Kakashi reached into his bag, producing two sets of arm and leg weights. As Sasuke reached out to take them, he was intercepted by Naruto.

"Kakashi-sensei, I've been reading and there's a seal I'd like to try instead."

Looking as though Naruto had sprouted a second head, Kakashi watched as the blond raced back to his bag and produced a brush, ink, and scroll. Sitting down, the blond stripped off his shirts before drawing symbols down his arm. Abruptly stopping, the genin turned expectantly to Kakashi.

"Sensei, could you finish it? I can't reach…"

Snapping out of his stupor, Kakashi began examining the boy's work. Although far from a sealing expert—or even proficient for that matter—Kakashi had some experience and quickly deduced the seal's purpose.

"Weights. I've never seen this before; where did you…"

Seeing the scroll Naruto held, Kakashi nodded.

"Of course, the Uchiha clan library. Yes, I'll finish it for you."

Quickly completing the seal, Kakashi placed his hand over Naruto's wrist and channeled some of his chakra into the seal.

"Fuin!"

As the black symbols withdrew towards his wrist, Naruto struggled to keep it stationary, letting it drop with a gasp when the sealing was complete. Smiling to himself, Kakashi quickly placed seals on Naruto's other wrist and ankles, followed soon after by identical seals on Sasuke.

"Well that's quite handy. Now, laps."

As the boys began running, Kakashi couldn't help a sadistic smile.

* * *

><p>The sun blazed in the sky as Naruto's muscles burned.<p>

"76…"

With a gasp, Naruto felt his arms give out and landed on the unforgiving ground with a grunt.

"75…this is easier if you don't keep falling. I already told you that I'm going to subtract if you don't do them correctly."

Beside Naruto, Sasuke narrowed his eyes and forced his aching arms to lift his body.

"Only 25 more push ups, dobe. We've got this."

Nodding, Naruto ground his teeth together and forced his body back into position.

Several agonizing minutes later, Kakashi threw a canteen to each.

"Drink up. There's a surprise next."

Kakashi smiled as the boys greedily consumed the water before falling backwards and just laying on the ground. Seconds later, Kurenai and her team entered the training ground.

As Kurenai made her way over she observed Kakashi's charges. Team 7 had been the object of a great deal of gossip since the Haruno girl had been switched to team 10—creating both a two and four person team in the process. Kurenai looked at Kakashi in shock as she surveyed the boys. Bruised and exhausted, they weren't in any condition for sparing.

"Kakashi, if you want to do this another time…"

Kakashi smiled at Kurenai.

"No, I think now is the perfect time. Sasuke, Naruto get up. We're going to be sparing against team 8."

Kurenai watched as both boys struggled to their feet and turned to face her team.

Hinata felt blood rush to her face as Naruto stood, his mesh shirt making it obvious how much training he had been doing over the past few weeks.

"Are we ready to begin? Use whatever force you deem necessary, just try not to do any permanent damage."

Kurenai spun at the sound of Kakashi's voice, ready to voice a large number of complaints. The new jonin growled as Kakashi simply shook his head.

"Begin."

Despite their aching bodies and weights, both Naruto and Sasuke immediately attacked, striking at the nearest target in tandem. For his part, Kiba managed to escape after taking only a few hits. Forming up, team 8 watched the boys wearily.

Standing up straighter and cracking his back, Naruto grinned at Sasuke.

"It almost looks like they're afraid of us Sasuke."

"Hn, they should be."

At matching grin appeared on Sasuke's face.

Flipping through hand seals, Sasuke and Naruto prepared their favorite combination.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!" (Fire Style: Grand Fireball)

"Futon: Daitoppa no justu!" (Wind Style: Great Break Through)

The firestorm bore down on team 8, scattering the three shinobi as they did their best to avoid being cooked. Seeing one of the genin separated from the other two, Naruto and Sasuke closed in under the cover of the smoke generated by their jutsu. Attempting a leg sweep, Sasuke forced their opponent into the air. Following immediately behind Sasuke, Naruto drew back his arm, prepared to reduce the size of the other team by one. For the barest moment, the smoke cleared enough for Naruto to glimpse his target, the blond staring directly into Hinata's fearful lavender eyes.

Naruto's hesitation cost him as Shino appeared in front of him and landed a brutal punch to the side of his face. Seeing Naruto removed from the fight, Sasuke swore and attempted to retreat towards his teammate only to be cut off by Kiba.

Surrounded, Sasuke did his best to dodge team 8's assault, but was inevitably sent skidding back to lie beside an unconscious Naruto. Kakashi smiled as Sasuke joined Naruto in blissful sleep.

"Thank you team 8, that was very...instructive..."


	6. Missions

**AN: Hello! Sorry for the wait...real life caught up to me... \AN**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6: Missions<strong>

Kakashi walked down the hallway, his hands in his pockets. Absently gazing at the pictures that decorated the Hokage tower, the tokubetsu jonin sighed as he arrived at a large oak door. Steeling himself, Kakashi gave three quick raps on the slab of wood.

"Come in."

The third Hokage's voice echoed authoritatively out of the office. As Kakashi entered he immediately noticed that he was the last to arrive. Standing off to his left were Asuma and Kurenai, the former looking embarrassed and the latter an odd combination of nervous and angry. Despite the gravity of the situation, Kakashi gave his fellow jonin a comforting smile, watching as Asuma visibly relaxed.

"Sorry about this Kakashi…"

Kakashi nodded in understanding; Kurenai and Asuma had been an item for almost a month, and his friend was absolutely head over heals for the genjutsu wielder—not that Kakashi blamed him.

Clearing his throat, Hiruzen met the eyes of each of his jonin before beginning.

"Kakashi, it seems some of the other jonin sensei have become concerned over your teaching methods. Kurenai, if you will…"

Kurenai stepped forward slightly, refusing to look at Kakashi.

"Hokage-sama, Kakashi approached me to set up a sparring session between our teams. When we arrived, both of Kakashi's genin were bruised, bloody, and completely exhausted. Nonetheless, Kakashi pushed them to fight. Needless to say, they were badly beaten. I'm worried that at this rate his genin won't survive."

Nodding, the elderly Hokage turned his eyes to Kakashi.

"Do you deny any of this Kakashi?"

Smiling at Hiruzen, Kakashi shook his head.

"No, Hokage-sama. Kurenai-san's report was completely accurate."

Beside Asuma, Kurenai visibly relaxed.

"Would you care to explain yourself Kakashi?"

Stepping forward slightly, the silver-haired jonin cleared his throat.

"It's true that I have pushed Sasuke and Naruto as hard as I deemed both were capable. I believe it is a testament to both boys' strength that neither has complained or in any way hinted that our pace should slacken. I have also undertaken to instill a…first-hand appreciation…for many of the virtues of a ninja. I believe that since both are likely to become exceptionally powerful, it's imperative that they learn these lessons immediately and thoroughly. In particular, I pushed them to fight Kurenai's team in order to show them that they could be beaten and that fights don't always occur on an even footing for the combatants. "

Across his desk Hiruzen nodded at Kakashi's justification—there was no doubt the jonin had thought through his actions and the boys' training.

"Still, Kakashi, your training regimen seems rather harsh. As I'm sure you're aware, the training you are currently putting your team through surpasses even Maito Guy's."

Nodding, Kakashi once again met the Hokage's eyes.

"As I'm sure you're also aware Hokage-sama, team 7 is no ordinary team, and both will need to go far beyond the standard to achieve their goals. Whether they know it or not, I'm doing my best to ensure that they both achieve their dreams and don't lose themselves in the process."

Beside Asuma, Kurenai snorted.

"They didn't seem that special when my team fought them."

Kakashi simply smiled at the younger woman.

"That, Kurenai, is what you and your team were supposed to think."

Hiruzen mentally thanked his son for restraining his lover before she could attack Kakashi. Clearing his throat to regain the attention of the jonin in his office, the third Hokage made his decision.

"Your justification is good Kakashi, and you have my approval. That said, I would like your team to complete at least one D-rank mission a day as well. It'll give those two a nice break. Dismissed."

* * *

><p>As the sun crested in the sky, Kakashi lead his team through the streets of Konoha, the two boys behind him eagerly consuming their lunch.<p>

"Tell me again why we have to do D-rank missions?"

Kakashi sighed at Naruto's question.

"I hope you already know how villages operate, so I'm assuming you're asking why we, specifically, are doing D-ranks?"

Kakashi saw the blond nod between bites of his sandwich.

"Because you're genin. Nothing is free in the shinobi world; if you want to be respected, you have to earn it—no shortcuts. We do D-ranks to show that we're ready for higher level missions, so the better and faster you do them, the faster you get harder missions. "

'_Besides, the Hokage ordered it.'_

Beside Naruto, Sasuke grunted, accepting his sensei's explanation. Kakashi stopped several minutes later, standing in front of a large, nondescript building with Konoha's leaf emblem embossed above the doors.

"This is the mission hall. It's where all the requests come in and get sent out. If you're really lucky, you might even get to see the Hokage personally handing assignments out."

Kakashi saw Sasuke's incredulous look out of the corner of his eye.

"It helps him establish a relationship with all of the ninja in the village; he's Konoha's leader, so it's only natural he has a personal relationship with all of Konoha's shinobi."

Kakashi laughed as Naruto nodded emphatically and began to regale Sasuke with stories of the Hokages' greatness. Leading his genin into the hall, Kakashi immediately addressed a bored-looking chunin behind an old wooden desk.

"Do you have Tora?"

Sasuke and Naruto exchanged worried glances as the chunin behind the desk suddenly grinned.

"Of course we do. Damn cat runs away again the moment a team brings her back."

Kakashi smiled as the chunin handed him the mission scroll.

"Could I also get one that involves a lot of physical labor?"

The chunin gave Sasuke and Naruto a look of pity as he handed Kakashi another scroll. Turning around, Kakashi lead his team back towards the hall's exit, stopping just as he reached the door.

"What's the record for Tora these days?"

Team 7 heard the chunin's reply as they stepped back into the sunlight.

"2 hours flat. Maito Guy's team."

Kakashi smiled as he stopped his team only a few feet out of the mission hall.

"Release your seals. We're going to set a new record and get you used to moving without weights."

Both boys grinned as they channeled chakra to the seals and released their weights—immediately feeling as though they were floating.

"Try and keep up."

Kakashi raced across the rooftops of Konoha, briefing his team on Tora as they ran.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, Naruto landed on a tree branch just above their target, the cat completely unaware of the ninja that were slowly surrounding her. Seeing Sasuke slip into position, Naruto turned his attention to his sensei, waiting for the go signal.<p>

Kakashi smiled under his mask. Watching a team try to catch Tora for the first time was always a treat. Holding his hand out, Kakashi suddenly let it drop and watched as his team attempted to restrain the cat from hell.

Naruto dropped soundlessly off his branch, falling towards Tora. Only Tora's years of experience evading genin saved her as she felt someone closing in on her; dashing forward the cat changed directions in an instant, cutting to her right and toward freedom. Swearing, Naruto raced after the cat. Just before the feline vanished into the forest, one of Sasuke's kunai landed a hair's breadth in front of it, startling the animal. With a snarl, Tora changed direction, now heading straight towards its attackers. Sasuke attempted to cut the cat off, fighting his momentum in a futile attempt to get his feet underneath him. Reaching Sasuke, Tora nimbly avoided the genin's grasp, soaring over his outstretched hands—and letting out a hiss when another pair plucked her out of the air.

Standing upside down on a branch above Sasuke, Naruto grinned.

"Sasuke,"

The last Uchiha grunted as he looked at his friend directly above him.

"Catch!"

Dropping Tora, Naruto laughed as the cat scratched ferociously at Sasuke's face. Above them both, Kakashi chuckled at his team's antics. A short run later, team 7 reappeared at the mission hall, Tora in hand. Once again leading his team towards the chunin on duty, Kakashi presented Tora and the mission scroll to the wide-eyed shinobi.

"You beat the record by over an hour!"

Kakashi smiled at the chunin before looking him directly in the eyes.

"No, we didn't. We completed it in 3 hours, and I don't want to hear anything to the contrary-understood?."

The chunin looked at Kakashi in shock as Naruto and Sasuke began to protest. Looking back towards his team, Kakashi silenced them with a glare.

"You heard me."

Turning, Kakashi lead a now fuming team 7 outside. The moment they cleared the doors Sasuke rounded on his sensei.

"What the hell was that for? We caught Tora fair and square."

Kakashi nodded at the Uchiha before glancing at their second D-rank mission scroll. Leading the way towards the edge of the village, Kakashi addressed his genin.

"What advantage was there to taking the record?"

Kakashi's question seemed to startle both genin as they racked their brains for an answer. Sasuke responded first.

"It would have shown the other teams how strong we are, it would have made them respect us."

Catching on to Sasuke's reasoning Naruto added his own spin.

"It would make them recognize us."

Kakashi waited several seconds in case either wanted to add to their position; satisfied that they were finished, Kakashi looked up towards the sky.

"Wrong. It would have stroked your egos. It would have told other teams how strong you are and given up a tactical advantage. It may have even made people fear your strength—something you should never confuse with respect or recognition."

Kakashi waited as his words sunk in.

"Never confuse fear with respect or apparent skill with actual. The best shinobi are humble and efficient, encouraging the enemy to underestimate them until its too late."

Kakashi smiled at Naruto and Sasuke to take some of the edge off his words.

"We're here."

Both boys pulled themselves out of their musings and surveyed the land around them. Somewhere in their conversation they had left Konoha and were now standing at the edge of one of the surrounding farms. As the genin stood on the edge of the field, an older man wearing a straw hat emerged from the nearby cabin, walking towards them.

"You're late! I've been waiting here all day for you!"

Despite the man's attitude, Kakashi simply smiled.

"What would you like us to do?"

Growling, the old farmer lead team 7 into the field, his eyes staying on Naruto a moment longer than the others.

"My son's out of town until tonight, so I need you three to take the rocks out and get the fields plowed. If you have time—which you probably won't because you were late—you can finish up breaking ground over there in the far field."

With another glare, the old farmer rolled up his sleeves and began picking up rocks and throwing them into a nearby wheelbarrow. Kakashi turned to his team with a smirk.

"You both remember what I said about earning harder missions?"

Kakashi stretched as both boys nodded.

"We start now. Naruto, Sasuke show me what you can do."

Kakashi grinned as Naruto immediately formed what was quickly becoming his favorite seal.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

As the smoke cleared, twenty-five Narutos pumped their fists.

"Let's go!"

As the clones set about ridding the fields of rocks, Kakashi directed the original towards a nearby plow. Leading Sasuke to the farthest field, Kakashi flipped through hand seals.

"Katon: _Goukakyuu no jutsu!" (Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu)_

Sasuke immediately caught on as Kakashi carefully controlled the jutsu to burn away the vegetation covering the ground they were supposed to break. Flipping through the same hand seals, Sasuke joined his sensei in expanding the farmer's fields.

Two hours later, Kakashi smiled as a group of ten Naruto clones ran over, the plow suspended on their shoulders. Setting the plow down, all ten saluted and waited for orders.

"Sasuke, you take the plow. Naruto, you pick rock in front of him."

Nodding, both groups leapt to work as Kakashi headed back towards the farmer's house to check on Naruto. Seeing the farmer himself sitting in a chair near his house, Kakashi approached their patron.

"Hello, sir. I was wondering if you knew where the blond boy went off to."

To Kakashi's amusement, the farmer took a long drink of his lemonade before smiling at him.

"Those are some kids you got. The blond one finished up these fields, so I gave him more work. I think most of them are in the barn getting ready to plant, and I have a few others cleaning the house."

Kakashi nodded at the old farmer as he headed towards the barn to make sure Naruto didn't break anything.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day passed quickly as Kakashi and his team raced around the farm performing every chore the old farmer could think of.<p>

When at last the sun began to dip towards the horizon, Kakashi called his team back together as Naruto's clones finished off the last few chores.

Walking behind the two genin, Kakashi couldn't help but smile at the boys; exhausted and sore, Naruto and Sasuke were nonetheless competing over who exactly had done more work. Kakashi placed a hand on both boys' shoulders as they approached the old farmer.

"Hello sir. We're about to head back, so if you could sign this scroll and leave any comments you might have, we'll get out of your hair."

The old farmer nodded brusquely, taking the scroll from Kakashi and writing on it for several minutes. Suddenly finishing, the old man swept off his hat and bowed to the ninja.

"Thank you. You've put us far ahead of schedule and made the rest of this season easier because of it. I…apologize for earlier."

Kakashi waved the man's apology away.

"No worries."

The old farmer began to nod, abruptly stopping as he caught sight of something behind the three ninja.

"Satsumo!"

Turning, Naruto found a younger version of the old farmer walking up the gravel path towards the house, a large pack on his back. Reaching the group, the young man gave his father a smile.

"Hello father! I see you got hel—"

The young man's eyes fell on Naruto, his voice hardening and his hands forming into fists.

"What are you doing here demon? Get off our farm you—"

As Kakashi and Sasuke closed ranks around the blond, the old farmer's fist met the top of his son's head, slamming him to the ground. Naruto shivered at the ferocious look in the old farmer's eyes.

"What my son meant was thank you for all of your hard work today, and he's sorry for being an idiot."

The worn old man met Naruto's eyes for a long moment.

"I'm sorry my boy."

Naruto simply grinned at the farmer.

"No problem ojiisan! If you ever need the best team in Konoha again, ask for team 7!"

Naruto turned away from the farm, his hands behind his head. Behind him, Kakashi and Sasuke bowed quickly before following. Stepping off the gravel path leading to the farm and onto the main road, Kakashi saw several figures running towards them.

"Naruto, you forgot to dispel your clones."

With a sheepish look, Naruto formed a seal and dispelled the clones he had made, the figures running towards them vanishing with a soft pop. Kakashi watched in amusement as the clones' memories hit Naruto and the boy's eyes rolled into the back of his head. Sasuke caught the now unconscious blond as he began to fall forward.

"Dobe…"

* * *

><p>The next morning, Naruto and Sasuke slipped into their training ground as the first rays of the sun cleared the horizon, stopping immediately at the sight of three figures standing in the morning fog. Dropping their bags by the exit, both boys slowly walked towards the intruders, becoming more nervous with every step. Sasuke swallowed; whoever they were, they looked dangerous—probably jonin-level.<p>

"What are you doing in our training ground?"

Sasuke almost choked as he realized Naruto was glaring down the three intruders, his arms crossed across his chest.

"Well?"

Sasuke saw the kunai a moment too late, the blade flashing past Naruto and cutting his cheek. A moment later, a purple-haired woman wearing only a mesh shirt, skirt, and trench coat stood behind Naruto, licking the blood from his cheek. Despite himself, Sasuke smirked at the blond's obvious discomfort.

"Now, now Anko. Don't go scaring them before we even do introductions."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief as their sensei's voice washed over them.

"Kakashi-kun, so glad you could make it."

Sasuke's eyes widened as the purple-haired kunoichi walked towards Kakashi, her hips swinging suggestively.

"Anko, work first, play later."

Kakashi smirked as his fellow tokubetsu jonin blushed.

'_One point for me.'_

Refusing to give in, Anko wrapped herself around the silver-haired ninja, becoming visibly annoyed when the copy-nin didn't appear to notice.

"I think it's time for some introductions."

Anko growled as she eyed Kakashi and disentangled herself, glaring daggers at the unfortunate man.

"Naruto, Sasuke, I've recruited some friends to help with your training."

"By recruited you mean `forced', right Kakashi?"

Naruto and Sasuke turned towards the speaker, a tall man with brown hair, his hitaite tied around his head in a bandana, and a senbon in his mouth.

"Name's Shiranui Genma."

Sensing his moment, another figure stepped forward, bowing slightly.

"My name is *cough* Gekko Hayate. *cough* A pleasure to meet you."

"And I believe you two already met Anko."

Kakashi smiled at his genin.

"Your turn."

"Uzumaki Naruto"

"Uchiha Sasuke"

Both genin examined the jonin around them nervously, Hayate looked friendly if a little sickly, while Genma just looked bored. Naruto swallowed as Anko gave him a sinister smile.

"Very good. Now that we're all friends, I'll explain why Genma, Hayate, and Anko are here."

"Because you threatened to kill us…"

Kakashi ignored Genma's muttered response, pushing forward with his explanation.

"All three are tokubetsu jonin, but more importantly for you two, all three have very different fighting styles. Today you're going to be training with someone who resembles your fighting style—for Naruto that's Genma and for Sasuke that's me. You're also going to be fighting against your worst possible match up; Naruto will fight Anko. She's fast, smart, and has a lot of devious tricks-you won't just be able to wear her down. Be careful Naruto, she's a lot more than a pretty face."

Kakashi smirked as Anko blushed again.

'_Kakashi: 2 Anko: 0'_

"Sasuke, you will fight Hayate—someone who's faster, more experienced, and better with a sword than you are. This a unique opportunity for both of you; I want you to learn everything you can from both of your jonin—especially the one who represents an unfavorable match up to you."

Kakashi lead Hayate and Sasuke across the training ground from Naruto, Anko, and Genma, grinning as Naruto attempted to attack Anko and was quickly sent rolling across the ground.

'_This is going to be a good day.'_


End file.
